We’re pleased to share that this year’s ACAT Conference and AGM will take place on Saturday 1st November 2025.
Our aim is simple: to gather, learn, and be encouraged in the ministry of church finance and governance. Whether you’re a seasoned treasurer, newly appointed trustee, or someone who quietly ensures the books balance each month—this day is for you.
Bookings are now closed; if you still wish to attend, please contact Cath via our enquiry form to check availability.
We know that managing church finances can be complex and, at times, isolating. That’s why the conference exists: to bring people together, to equip, to share ideas, and to remind one another that we are not alone in this work.
We want this event to be open to all. Tickets are just £20, and we encourage you to invite others in your church who might benefit, especially those involved in finance, operations, or governance.
The livestream is available for those unable to attend the conference in person. Due to streaming limitations, we will be unable to offer a choice of seminars.
The 2025 AGM will also take place as part of the Conference. Members attending online will not be able to vote.
This year’s programme will be packed with practical help and spiritual input. You’ll hear from experts, connect with fellow church leaders from all sorts of churches and engage with new ways to support your church through your giving.
We’ll be sharing more about the speakers and sessions soon—but for now, save the date, tell your friends and pray for what promises to be a great day.
If you’re involved in your church in any way with finance, operations or governance, this is for you. Whether you’re part of a small chapel or a city centre church, you’ll find something here for you.
Richard leads CAF Bank’s Charity Lending team. He is dedicated to providing a first-class lending service for charities and housing associations, so they can support their beneficiaries further.
His previous experience spans banking and educational finance, through a range of roles including commercial banking, branch and relationship management. Since joining CAF Bank in 2012, Richard has overseen the evolution and growth of CAF Bank's lending offering, working with a range of innovative and inspiring organisations to help them achieve their goals.
Heather Ford started off her career as a Housing Association Development Manager, project managing large housing projects from inception to completion. Her passion for historic church buildings led her to become a Church Buildings Officer with Manchester Diocese, supporting churches on fundraising campaigns, capital building projects and maintenance programmes.
Now as a Church Support Manager with Ecclesiastical she provides bespoke support and training for churches on a variety of topics including health & safety, insurance, risk management and fundraising. She sees this role very much as a way of supporting and enabling churches to deliver their mission and ministry.
Andrew Robinson MBE, Director, Market Development of CCLA. Prior to joining the Company, Andrew was Head of Community Development Banking for RBS and NatWest, responsible for the not-for-profit and social enterprise sectors. Before joining NatWest, he was the founding Executive Director of the UK’s first community development finance institution to provide loan finance to voluntary and community sector organisations working in the most disadvantaged communities in England.
Paul has spent most of his career, both as an employee and a trustee, in the fundraising, charity, and voluntary services sectors. He is employed by the Diocese of Manchester and is their Diocesan Giving Advisor. Over the last six years, as HMRC agent for the Gift Aid Lite scheme, he has modernised Gift Aid and GASDS claiming using web-based software to maximise individual church claims whilst also ensuring robust audit trails are in place. During the last tax year, the diocese claimed back almost £800k in Gift Aid and GASDS from HMRC on behalf of around 200 churches. Paul has also developed and implemented a diocesan Giving, Generosity, and Thankfulness strategy to support churches develop and enhance this important area of their mission and ministry. This has included organising, developing, and delivering high-quality training for Treasurers, Gift Aid Secretaries, clergy, and laity.
Matt joined Epworth in 2014. He holds a First-Class Economics Degree and is a CFA Institute Charterholder. He also holds the CFA’s Sustainable Investment and Investment Management Certificates.
Matt became the manager of the Epworth Multi-Asset Fund in 2022 and is Chair of Epworth’s Asset Allocation and Fund Selection Committees. He has a background in equity analysis and corporate engagement, as well as experience managing cash and fixed income strategies.
Matt is a voluntary elected member of his local church council, where he sits on the finance and sustainability groups. His experience provides him a unique insight into modern investment challenges facing faith investors, and he regularly presents to clients and at conferences on these themes.
Simon joined Epworth in 2022 as Head of Business Development. Having been in Financial Services since 1988, he started his career with Sun Life, which ultimately became AXA Wealth Management.
Simon spent 30 years with AXA in various marketing and sales roles, ultimately making the move into sales management where was running various teams across platform, pensions and investments. His experience of running large teams made him the natural choice of the Isle of Man distribution team that became Utmost Wealth, where he was running both the UK sales team, and the Isle of Man Marketing and technical teams.
Since leaving AXA, Simon led distribution teams for two Fin-tech startups, including Flagstone so brings a depth of experience to Epworth, having worked in both large corporates and smaller SMEs.
Livia is a charity lawyer at Bates Wells, a charity specialist law firm.
As part of her role, Livia advises a number of faith-based clients, providing support on a range of issues ranging from governance matters to guidance around trustee duties. Livia also regularly advises on matters relating to charity intellectual property.
Prior to joining Bates Wells in 2019, Livia was a paralegal and trainee at Stone King.
Nigel is a volunteer member of the HFMA NHS Charity Finance Group, ACCA Charity Trustees’ Panel and the IFR4NPO Practitioners’ Advisory Group and he joined the ACAT Board in May 2023. He is also a part-time professional consultant advising on charity financial reporting, regulation and governance. Previously he held a number of senior roles at the Charity Commission for England and Wales (2001-2022), latterly Assistant Director, Accountancy Services, and he was also a Joint Chair of the Charities SORP Committee (2014-2022).
Immanuel is a risk and safety management consultant with the consultancy firm Arthur D. Little. He studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, where he met and married Julia prior to settling down in the area.
In his day job he works with clients across a range of sectors, primarily in rail transport and the oil and gas industry, specialising in risk modelling and assessment and safety management.
He has been treasurer of Eden Baptist Church in Cambridge since 2015, and has been an ACAT trainer since 2017, delivering general treasurer training as well as more specialised risk and safety courses. He holds a Level 2 Foundation Certificate in Accounting with the AAT.
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | Registration |
| 10:00 | Welcome & opening prayer – Chair of ACAT |
| Introducing our sponsors: - CAF Bank - Epworth - CCLA: We need to talk about cash | |
| Key speaker – Bishop Mark: Bishop of Middleton | |
| 11:30 | Tea Break – an opportunity to visit our exhibitors and take some refreshment. |
| 12:00 | - Ecclesiastical: Introduction to fundraising - Matt Jones (Epworth): Investing with Christian Ethics - 10ofThose |
| 13:00 | Lunch - an opportunity to visit our exhibitors and take some refreshment. |
| 13:45 | ACAT AGM 2025 - An update on the work of ACAT and an opportunity to ask questions |
| 14:15 | Q&A sessions: - Simon Woolnough (Epworth): Interest, Instantly: Cash That Aligns with your Mission - Paul Bailey (Manchester Diocese): Gift Aid Guidance and scenarios - Ecclesiastical: Event planning as a fundraiser – risk management considerations |
| 15:00 | Break – a final opportunity to visit our exhibitors and take some refreshment. |
| 15:15 | Q&A sessions: - Richard Hunt (CAF Bank): Future proofing your banking relationship - Livia Velicu and Nigel Davies: Changing to CIO - Manny Kemp: Giving Methods in the Digital Age |
| 16:00 | Closing session – Livia Velicu: ACAT Chair |
Download a copy of the conference programme:
Simon Woolnough - Epworth IM
In a world where change is often met with hesitation, the Epworth Cash Plus Fund for Charities offers a refreshing alternative - one that delivers instant interest without compromising your values. This session invites members of ACAT to explore how their church cash can work harder, smarter, and more faithfully. Whether you're cautious about shifting from familiar financial routines or simply curious about aligning your reserves with your mission, this fund is designed to meet you where you are - and take you further than you thought possible.
Paul Bailey - Manchester Diocese
A straightforward session about Gift Aid, looking at potential scenarios that are frequently asked about and where to get guidance
Heather Ford - Ecclesiastical Insurance
Holding an event can be a great way to fundraise. Making sure that you have considered risk management aspects is key to running a successful event. In this workshop Heather Ford, Church Support Manager with Ecclesiastical will share with you the resources they have to help you with this. There will also be an opportunity to discuss some case studies to determine what event organisers need to have considered and have in place.
Heather Ford started off her career as a Housing Association Development Manager, project managing large housing projects from inception to completion. Her passion for historic church buildings led her to become a Church Buildings Officer with Manchester Diocese, supporting churches on fundraising campaigns, capital building projects and maintenance programmes.
Now as a Church Support Manager with Ecclesiastical she provides bespoke support and training for churches on a variety of topics including health & safety, insurance, risk management and fundraising. She sees this role very much as a way of supporting and enabling churches to deliver their mission and ministry.
Richard Hunt - CAF Bank
Looking at how churches can prepare for potential future changes in banking and how to prepare for and cope with change.
Livia Velicu and Nigel Davies - ACAT Board Members
This session will cover what a CIO is and how you establish it, offer ideas on thinking through your approach (including in relation to members) when proposing to become a CIO and will close with some practical points of implementation to consider. This session will be ideal for those churches thinking about changing to a CIO but which have not yet started or are early on in the process. There will be time for questions and answers.
Manny Kemp - ACAT Board Member
In this session, we will explore some of the implications of newer digital technology on giving methods, donor engagement and church accounts, including how this impacts bookkeeping records and Gift Aid.
CAF Bank is more than a bank. We are dedicated to supporting charities and social purposes enterprises and understanding the pressures they face. Owned by a charity, the Charities Aid Foundation, we share the ethos of the 14,000 organisations using our banking, deposit account, and lending services. From the one-person causes to the large-scale organisations, we are the bank charities turn to. We believe in the power of good, and in treating the goals of charities as our own.
Epworth are proudly part of the investment arm of The Methodist Church. We are stewards of our investors’ money and carefully select investments using Christian ethical criteria. Epworth manages assets of around £1 billion and is wholly owned by the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church – a statutory body established by the Methodist Church Funds Act 1960
CCLA is committed to delivering sustainable returns to our clients in a way that aligns with their values and furthers their mission.
Ecclesiastical provides insurance backed by 135 years of experience supporting churches. Real people, expertise, practical help, and a deep understanding of what matters. Owned by a charity, we offer grants, fundraising tools, and guidance—because a church is about people, purpose, and community, not just buildings.
Since 1985 Data Developments have provided software, services and training for churches, faith-based organisations, foodbanks and charities. Our software and services greatly simplify the accounts, administration and donations work for your organisation and enables you to focus on your mission
Fundraising website easyfundraising turns online shopping into money for your church. When anyone in your church community shops online with any of over 7,500 well known retailers, every purchase they make results in a free monetary donation for your church.
Online since 2003 Liberty Accounts cloud accounting and payroll is designed to meet the requirements of not-for-profits. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, it simplifies financial management. From tracking donations to generating reports, Liberty Accounts ensures transparency and compliance, allowing charities to focus on their mission while staying organised and efficient.
Unity Trust Bank is an independent, purpose-driven bank offering current accounts and specialist support for charities and the not-for-profit sector. Our mission is to help organisations create positive change through responsible banking and a commitment to social good.
At Utility Aid we secure charities and not-for-profit organisations across the UK the best possible service agreements on your water, gas and electricity. We support, advise and negotiate on your behalf.
Venue: Virtual
This is for the livestream version of our conference.
The livestream is available for the whole day including the AGM, it will be accessed via zoom or Teams and there will be the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A facility.
Due to steaming limitations, we will be unable to offer a choice of seminars.
Diocese of Manchester, The Rock, Bury, UK
